Janine wrote:I have seen electric water kettles that have a digital temp readout on the top of the handle so you know exactly what temp the water is.

Salsero wrote:

Any idea where one could obtain such a kettle?

I saw these at Imperial Tea this summer... they were samples, and the owner told me they planned to get them in stock. I don't know when. (They use them in their own tasting room at their warehouse now.) I used them to test some teas and they were great - just watched the digital temp rise up while the water was heating. They were like regular electric kettles - the type that sits on a small flat round platform about the size of the bottom of the teapot. Plug cord leads from flat round base, is not attached to the kettle. Didn't take up a lot of space.

Janine wrote:I saw these at Imperial Tea this summer... they were samples, and the owner told me they planned to get them in stock. I don't know when. (They use them in their own tasting room at their warehouse now.) I used them to test some teas and they were great - just watched the digital temp rise up while the water was heating. They were like regular electric kettles - the type that sits on a small flat round platform about the size of the bottom of the teapot. Plug cord leads from flat round base, is not attached to the kettle. Didn't take up a lot of space.

In my experience with water temps in a pot or kettle, there can be a lot of disparity as I move the thermometer around within the vessel. Therefore, I am always suspect of temp gauges. Also, sometimes a kettle needs to be full in order for the temp gauge to be remotely correct.

My experience was good, but it was limited to one afternoon. I did brew many teas that day, and I used this pot over and over again. Sometimes it was very full, sometimes not. Then again, I'd imagine boiling time does depend on the amount of water as well. I did not note exactly how much water these kettles held, but I'd guess maybe 2 liters? maybe 1.5? (Don't quote me.) They were a very convenient size, not too big, not too small. It seemed to work very efficiently. It was as interesting watching the temperature gauge fall (and how fast that happened) between brews as it was noting the water temperature through the boiling and steeping process. It at least gave me a good idea of what exactly was happening with the water - its properties, how it cooled, how long it took to cool as it sat, or heat as it warmed, and what exactly I was pouring.

I don't generally (personally) value being absolutely scientific about these things. Once upon a time, a former manager at Imperial Tea told me that there is a very important traditional part of tea that values brewing via experience, being in that moment - over let's say having a timer and thermometer, and I think he was right. But it was really interesting to have that kettle to use; and especially so if one wants to really evaluate what happens at different temperatures. BTW that same teacher also taught me to use different temps to brew different teas, but to tell by the steam escaping from the kettle or simply by feel.

I was browsing around Adagio's teawares page, and I noticed that the UtiliTEA electric kettle is quite similar in shape and look to the one I used that had the digital readout. I have no idea if it's from the same manufacturer or not, but the look and shape were quite similar, just to give you an idea. Picture a digital readout at the top of the handle.